"Gutted" Preston North End boss reveals extent of injuries and Covid-19 that led to Sheffield United Boxing Day clash being postponed

Although Lowe could not confirm how many of his players had either tested positive for Covid-19 or were having to self-isolate after coming into contact with a positive case, North End also have up to half a dozen players missing with injury and informed the English Football League that they would be unable to field a team to face the Blades on Sunday.

The EFL recently reminded clubs that it expected games to go ahead if they could field a squad of 14 senior players and is now, as is standard practice, investigating the circumstances behind the postponed game.

United had hoped to make up further ground on the top six after Monday night’s victory at league leaders Fulham, and this is the second game this month that has been postponed after their home clash with QPR was called off following a number of positive tests in their camp.

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And former Wednesday striker Lowe, who became North End’s new boss earlier this month after leaving his post at Plymouth Argyle, explained the timeline of events which led to the postponement of the Boxing Day game.

“It has been over the last couple of days,” Lowe said. “When you get so many tests coming back positive, you have to send them away for PCR tests.

“After the Barnsley game we wanted to keep kicking on and getting that winning feeling was fantastic.

“But the virus has kicked us out today and we've had no choice but to speak to the EFL and go along the lines of the protocols and miss a big game of football - which me, the players and the fans, I'm sure, were all excited about.

"Monday and Tuesday were very helpful, they had a rest and recovery day on Wednesday and today was going to be an important day in terms of lots of video analysis, Sheffield United and how we want it.

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"Rather than training, we felt it was the right thing to do, to get them in and explain it. But once the tests came back we just had to get them out of the building as soon as we possibly could.

"I’m disappointed, but that will stay in our armour and we have to move on to the next game - the analysts are going crazy in there because they've put game plans together for Millwall and Sheffield United!

"I always say to expect the unexpected in football and I think that's what we've got to do over the next couple of days, just see what happens.”

Lowe could not discuss the number of players missing, adding that it was “enough”.

“I don't know off the top of my head but once you go past five or six, we just haven't got the squad to field,” he said. “Which is disappointing.

"We would've gone in without one or two [players], no problem, because we would've had to.

“We are still getting players ill and catching the virus. So it's a challenging time."

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